UAV aerial photography

[barne_as]

Posted this in anther forum but on second thoughts maybe better off in here!?

Does anyone have any experiences in using / operating a civilian UAV company for aerial photography / survey work?

Im thinking of the small rotary, single camera VTOL type not so much the fixed wing, stay up for 24 hrs at altitude.

Ive started looking into operating a UAV for this and was wondering about the legalities / CAA stance on operating a UAV.

I have had bits of infomation including things like, you cannot operate them autonomously, so you cannot set waypoints and let them fly, you cannot use them in built up areas, and they cannot fly out of your sight.

Also what qualifications, if any, are needed for the "pilot"

If anyone can give me some guidance or experience on this I would be grateful.

[leviterande]

I have some experience i but no not in a company though. gas helis with cameras are common. You can certainly get lots of info on regulations in Rcgroups.com and go in aerial photography. There is tons of info on that site, maybe you can get help there too! good luck!

[Fortyodd2]

Start here -

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP722.pdf

[GS-Alpha]

I'm currently building an AP RC helicopter based around a Trex700e. If I prove to have any talent, I intend to try and make some money out of it, but for the time being it is just for fun. I intend to use a Canon 5D MkII.

You are correct that in the UK, you must be line of sight, and if you are flying first person view, you must also have a spotter. There are quite a few restrictions, but generally you need your A and B BMFA certificates for RC flight (without the use of automatics) if you are going to fly in built up areas.

[Nige321]

GS-Alpha

If I prove to have any talent, I intend to try and make some money out of it

If you do you will need a 'Basic National UAS Certificate for Small Unmanned Aircraft (BNUC-STM)'

Some bedtime reading from the CAA, here (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1995&pagetype=90) and particularly here... (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1995&pagetype=90)

The days of strapping a camera to an R/C heli and earning a few bob are over...

[FlightPathOBN]

The CAP 722 referenced above is , well, your only point of reference...

Dont try even putting a kite into the air until the Olympics are over...

(there are many professional based platforms out there doing this already, check on LinkedIn UAV groups for real detailed answers to your quest..)

[GS-Alpha]

Thanks for that Nige. I've already checked out the CAA stuff, but I think the requirement for the certificate is new since I last looked several months ago.

If I ever get around to doing any commercial work or flying in a built up area, I'll need to check the CAA requirements again properly because it seems to be an ever evolving field.